Lesotho 2019

Taking time to stop and photograph the flowers on a walk.

Cosmos! 

    On the road again...Wednesday the 22nd of May, one day after Josh turned 18. 

I thought I'd take note of some of how we eat on this trip, having never done so.  We go for efficiency as well as healthy and yummy, so our first meal was sandwiches, from tinned chicken, with mayo added.   These tinned chickens have been a winner on trips, and I was psyched to find a deal on them this time before I was even looking!  I stocked up. 

KFC got our business for supper cuz it was at the right place at the starving time.  It wasn't exceptionally quick, but we didn't realize that 'til we were committed.  Delicious!  A little touch of Kentucky in the Karoo.  

I felt so organized for breakfast having 8 eggs packed in a plastic box, with a towel to pad them.  Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men, don't always work.  My eggs were scrambled before I got to them.  Well, 5 were, so I cooked the remaining 3 in the kettle meant for tea, and we were started.  In the Jeep we had my homemade granola, a family favorite, (I'll send the recipe to anyone who wants it!  It is my most shared recipe, I think.  It's a high protein recipe I learned from a pregnancy book way back with Evangel.)  When we stop for petrol, I'll wash out the bowls. 

So now we're driving blindly, straight into the sun, straight along the N-1 toward Lesotho.  I think we have about 7 hours to go.  

The Karoo delights me.  It's semi desert, so we see a big panorama.  We see sheep grazing, impala hopping, cows occasionally, and ostriches standing tall.  The Karoo is known for it's windmills too, and I hope to get a stunning silhouette of one to stick on here.  (*GOT one!  Though it's the sun that is stunning, more than the windmill.  See back at the top.)  The terrain looks like New Mexico with buttes popping out of flat or gently rolling landscape.  The predominant color is brown, but certainly not the only color.  Last night the pinks and purples were wonderful at sunset.  This morning in the bright sun, yellow highlights in the dead grass are splashed in the brown grass.  Cool that God likes highlights. 

Our fellow travelers seem to be mostly 18 wheelers with frequent white farm bakkies (that would be "trucks" in American) and the occasional other vehicle thrown in.  

Last night we didn't have a plan on where to stop, so we drove until dark, and then started thinking where to sleep.  Hanover was the right distance so Josh typed in "accommodation" into the GPS and we prayed (sang "Guide Me, Oh, Thou Great Jehovah) and picked one with a nice name.  Ash Tree Guesthouse was our first pick, and we ended up staying there.  The owner, Danie,  turned out to be a Christian, and he and Paul swapped abbreviated testimonies in the morning. We took a 30 minute walk in the dark before bed, and Paul passed out his new tract to some giggling teens. 

Another HUGE difference on this trip is that we have a third driver!  Josh is helping with a lot of the driving.  He loves it, and is passing big trucks like a pro (i.e. scaring me witless!)  

Friday the 24th.  We arrived in Ficksburg, on the border of Lesotho, but still on the SA side, around noon yesterday.  We quick found accommodation and Paul headed off to schedule schools.  He got 2 out of 6 visited, then came back feeling yucky.  I think his heart was palpitating.  He got up for a walk, and then went to sleep from about 5-8 PM.  At 8 we talked, and I tried merry heart meds on him, giving him Babylon Bee to read.  It seemed to help!  It took his mind to another place that was all fresh for him.  

Speaking of taking our minds off things, we are reading our 10th of 11 Bodie Thoene books in the 2 Zion series.  My goal is to finish that before Josh leaves for college.  Tim read it on his own years ago.  Josh should know a chunk more about WW II and the birth of Israel.  It's so suspenseful and made the miles, or should I say kilometers, fly by painlessly.  

Later:  Paul went back to two of those six schools, and we're now in Ficksburg until Monday.  Fine with me! I like where we're staying, within walking distance of shops, and it has HEATERS in the room!!!  Yippee skippy!  Warmth is so essential right now with Paul feeling yucky.  Though it's called an air conditioner.  

Monday.  Paul and Josh preached in one school, and soon we have the second one, and then we head for the border of Lesotho!  The Mountain Kingdom.